Until recently, when I thought of someone named Cam & football, I thought of the TV show “Modern Family.”

When you think about it, the NFL season ended just in time.  After enduring 16 regular season games and several playoff games watching Cam Newton’s ego swell to beyond imagination, he was thankfully reduced to a mere human in last weekend’s Super Bowl.

Now, this comes from a Seahawks fan, where we have our own collection of rather strong egos.  But anyone who follows our team closely knows that while we occasionally get a big-time wrestling outburst or two from our players, they also turn around and show their humility and appreciation for the fans and respect for the game.  It’s not unusual to see them down on the field or in the locker room praying after a game, win or lose.  Their off-the-field involvement with charities and fans have become a league standard.

Cam, if you somehow come across this, swallow a gallon or two of pride and take a few lessons from the Seahawks.  Oh, for example, Russell Wilson, who took full responsibility for “the pass” that cost us our second Super Bowl in a row. He sat there taking every moronic question until the press was done with him.  Then, as a team leader, he organized a team retreat in Hawaii to talk about what happened and how they were going to return to greatness from there.

It is a team game.

Maybe we don’t know you as well as we should, but you’ve given us so much to judge. The cockiness, the attitude–and then suggesting that we don’t get it because we’re racists. What’s with not going after a fumble when the ball was right in front of you? Not your job?  Then you explained the fact you walked out of your post-Super Bowl interview because “anyone who’s a good loser is a loser.” Yeah, how many kids who look up to you as a hero will justify their future tantrums or show-boating because that’s what Cam does?

Sorry to break this to you, but as the leader of a very talented team, people want to look up to you. They want to raise you up, not watch you do it yourself.  And this just in—when you go into a game this cocky and have your butt handed to you, people eat that stuff up.  Win with that kind of attitude and people aren’t as happy for you and I mean a lot of people.  Did you know that for all Tom Brady has accomplished, New England is ranked the most hated team in the N.F.L.?

Unless you’ve gone to the dark side and you’d like to turn your team into the Carolina Vaders.

You have to possess a great deal of confidence in professional sports to succeed, we get that. And talent. And the perfect supporting cast. Cam, you’ve got a ton of talent and I want to believe you’re just showing your immaturity because of your age.  Then I look at my Seahawks again and see that our players are the same age.  I’ll be curious if all the antics return with you next season, or if we’ll start seeing the more mature version of Cam Newton.

Lastly, there’s this little thing called karma.  If you don’t know what that is, I have the Super Bowl on my DVR if you’d like to come over and see for yourself.

Tim Hunter